Anemia Prevalence in a Home Visit Geriatric Population

Objectives Ascertain anemia prevalence in the home visit geriatric population. Design Retrospective chart review. Setting A geriatric home visit program of a community-based teaching hospital. Participants Non-institutionalized elderly patients referred to the geriatric home visit program from March 1, 2003, through October 1, 2006. Measurements Demographic, diagnostic, and hemoglobin data were abstracted. Anemia was defined using the WHO criteria of hemoglobin (Hb) less than 13 g/dL in men and less than 12 g/dL in women. Results The cohort consisted of 244 patients, predominantly white (88%), women (77%), and with a median age of 85 years. Anemia prevalence was 39.6% (95% CI: 32.6–46.9): 44.7% (95% CI: 30.2–59.9) in the men and 37.9% (95% CI: 30.0–46.4%) in the women. There was no statistically significant difference in anemia prevalence by race, known diagnosis of dementia, or by any other comorbidity. Majorities (86.8%) of the anemias were normocytic, 10.5% were microcytic, and 2.6% had macrocytosis. About 36.4% had nutrient deficiencies, 13.6% had anemia of chronic disease, 9.1% had myelodysplastic syndrome, and the etiology remained unknown for 40.9%. Conclusion Anemia prevalence in the homebound geriatric population is high, about 4 times the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) estimate for the free-living, community-dwelling elderly. It mirrors the high prevalence in the nursing home population.